Missouri Botanical Garden

The Commerce Bank Center for Science Education (CBEC) is the focal point of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s expanding education and sustainability programming. An integral feature of the Garden’s main campus, CBEC is located at the corner of Shaw Ave. and Kingshighway, and joins the Monsanto Center (the Garden’s center for science and conservation) on the campus’ western border.

Opened in 2003 after an extensive renovation, CBEC is a model of green design and construction. Formerly a manufacturing facility, it was upgraded with energy efficient building systems, water saving plumbing, environmentally friendly building materials and native plant landscaping. Recently a 25 KW solar photovoltaic roof top array was installed to provide electricity for five percent of the building’s energy needs. A display in the lobby allows for real-time monitoring of energy production by the solar panels and creates a sustainable learning opportunity.

Located within the 58,000 square-foot CBEC facility are offices of the Garden’s Education Division; Sustainability Division, including EarthWays Center; Information Technology Division; Center for Biodiversity Informatics (CBI); and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. In addition, Garden affiliates headquartered at CBEC include the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) and the U.S. Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter (USGBC-MGC). The CBEC facility offers a 9,000 square-foot event center of five classrooms and an executive meeting room as well as a kit-lending library for local educators.

The Education Division, is a diverse team of professional and passionate educators who share a common goal: To deliver exemplary, experience-based education that increases understanding, appreciation and conservation of plants and the natural world, and inspire people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to think and act in sustainable ways. In addition to enriching a diversity of visitors at its public destinations through interactions, exhibits, classes and special events, the Garden’s Education team provides in-depth learning experiences specifically designed for students, teachers and entire schools. Programs are science-driven and nature-based, including preK-12 on-site student experiences, field labs, outreach programs, teacher professional development, online resources, service learning opportunities and school partnerships.

The Sustainability Division facilitates and implements sustainable policies, procedures and practices on behalf of the Garden. This includes addressing energy and resource efficiency, waste reduction, transportation issues and indoor environmental quality within Garden facilities and operations. The division also provides leadership in advancing sustainability throughout the region.

The EarthWays Center, a department of the Sustainability Division, leads the Garden’s outreach efforts in these areas. Staff work with audiences in both Missouri and Illinois to promote sustainability through environmental education and improving the built environment – primarily through the program areas of green campuses (K-12 and universities); sustainable businesses and communities; green homes; and green building. By educating and demonstrating options about sustainable lifestyle choices they help people realize their choices can minimize their current and future impact on plants, the local environment and the world at large.

The U.S. Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter’s mission is to initiate, develop and accelerate implementation of green building concepts, technologies and principles that promote environmentally responsible, prosperous and healthy places to live and work. Through a contract with the EarthWays Center the Missouri Gateway Chapter’s executive offices, meeting space and educational venues are housed at CBEC.

The Information Technology Division (IT) plans, develops, purchases, implements, operates and supports the technology needs of the Garden worldwide including computers, printers, copiers, networks, telephones and software used for office automation, retail, garden operations, administration and science and conservation.

The Center for Biodiversity Informatics (CBI), part of the IT Division, seeks to provide innovative technology solutions to the global community of life science scholars in order to mobilize, integrate and repatriate data about the world’s biodiversity. The Tropicos project is creating a dataset which is the largest single repository of scholarly botanical information made freely available online. Tropicos® contains more than 3.7 million records documenting the occurrence of the world’s plant species. Another project, the Biodiversity Heritage Library, is a global community of natural history libraries and research institutions who have formed a partnership to digitize and make available the world’s biodiversity literature.

Missouri Botanical Garden Press (MBG Press), part of the Science and Conservation Division, plays a key role in the Garden's mission to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment. Through two peer-reviewed, quarterly journals, the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden and NOVON, A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature; regional floras; and other books, including the series Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden, MBG Press provides an important outlet for the dissemination of botanical research. Book-length publications, co-publications, certain botanical publications from other publishers and individual issues of MBG Press journals ordered online are stored and shipped from CBEC. Botanical art reproductions scanned from the originals in the rare book collection of the Peter H. Raven Library are produced on site and distributed from CBEC

The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) is solely dedicated to preventing the extinction of U.S. native plants. The Center was one of the first organizations created to meet this need. The CPC is a network of 36 leading botanic institutions. Founded in 1984, the CPC operates the only coordinated national program of off-site (ex situ) conservation of rare plant material. This conservation collection ensures that material is available for restoration and recovery efforts for these species. CPC is an independent non-profit organization. Through an agreement with the Garden, CPC staff offices, archives and meeting space are housed at CBEC.

In addition to offices, CBEC includes a 9,000 square-foot event center of five classrooms and an executive conference room. The central lobby provides a welcoming entry and gathering place. The facility is equipped throughout with the up-to-date communication technologies and modular classroom space.

Main Entrance Lobby
A gathering place, the reception area is used for displays, artwork and donor recognition.
Executive Conference Room #175
Equipped with a built-in data projector and VCR/DVD player, this conference room serves as the Garden’s executive conference room designed to accommodate up to 24.
Classroom #119
Equipped with a built-in data projector, this carpeted classroom serves as a small conference room for ten, a classroom for 20 or a theatre for 50.
Classroom #125
This classroom will seat 50 classroom-style and 100 theatre-style. It is equipped with a built-in data projector and VCR/DVD player, in addition to a long counter with a sink.
Classroom #126 and Classroom #127
These classrooms function either as two partitioned classrooms or as combined classroom space. Individually each room will seat 30 classroom-style and 50 theatre-style. Each room is equipped with a built-in data projector, VCR/DVD player and a long counter with a sink.
Classroom #129
Equipped with a built-in data projector, a long counter and a sink, this classroom will seat 20 classroom-style and 30 theatre-style.

For more information, contact the Public Relations Department at (314) 577-0254 or (314) 577-5141 or check the Garden’s Web site at www.mobot.org. For 24-hour recorded visitor information, call (314) 577-5100 or 1-800-642-8842 toll free.

The Missouri Botanical Garden's mission is "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life." Today, 152 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark; a center for research, education and horticultural display.

7/2011